


School Essays

by CharlemagneDoesntKnowWhatToDoWithHerself



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlemagneDoesntKnowWhatToDoWithHerself/pseuds/CharlemagneDoesntKnowWhatToDoWithHerself
Summary: Guess my standards are slipping if this is what I've resorted to.I'll just post anything now igI graduated a while ago, and most of my teachers didn't use plagiarism checkers, so feel free to take "Heavy Inspiration"
Comments: 6





	1. Night Speech

**Author's Note:**

> This is a speech I wrote about Elie Wiesel's book, Night. It sound's like I'm a Nazi sympathizer. I'm not a Nazi sympathizer. I just really didn't want to write a speech.

Dehumanization in Night  
The Stanford Prison Experiment was putting people in a situation of near-complete power over others. The experiment itself had to be cancelled early for moral reasons due to abuse of said power. It took less than two weeks.  
The Milgram Experiment was asking the subject to electrocute another person (the test subject didn’t know that the other person was an actor though). To the surprise and disgust of many to this day, majority of the people involved in the test continued to deliver shocks to the actors as long as the director told them they wouldn’t be at fault.  
How does this apply to the themes in Night? Well, we are all very quick to judge and blame the SS officers for what they did to the jewish, completely disregarding the results of these tests. In both of these situations, regular civilians were put in circumstances similar to that of Nazi Germany, and we “failed”.  
We often describe the way the Nazis treated their victims as ‘dehumanizing’, but we fail to realize that maybe this is exactly how humans are supposed to work. In fact, looking at how the jewish themselves reacted to these situations supports this. The jewish almost never fought back against the SS officers directly, but were all too quick to attack one another for a coin or a scrap of bread. Besides this even, was the fact that the jewish never blamed the officers. At the end, right after liberation, Eliezer goes into detail on the fact that none of them seeked revenge on the SS. Maybe this is because they realized while living alongside each other that none of them were at fault. It’s all just doing as you’re ordered and following instruction. Even things like murder, as explained in the documentary, can be desensitized in the officer’s minds and pulling the trigger is just doing your job. Getting paid to feed your family, like any one of us would do.


	2. I really like Opossums.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever had a Forestry class? Me neither.

Opossums and Our Ecosystems

When it comes to natural resources, keeping our ecosystems alive is a prominent job. Opossums do nothing but make this job easier. They reproduce easily, but don’t become overpopulated, even under ideal conditions. They eat many parasites that can negatively affect other populations within an ecosystem, and pose nearly no danger to humans. Contrary to popular belief, opossums do not eat cats or most other pets (unless you keep native snakes or frogs as pets). They pose no danger to animals kept in at night, and exceptionally little for animals that aren’t. The only time an opossum would attack your pet is if the pet wandered into their den, and even then they are more likely to faint then attack. Opossums are ambush hunters, preying on small amphibians, VERY small reptiles, and even smaller insects. Being able to track and then take down an animal that is bigger than half their size just doesn’t fit in with their chill lifestyle. As previously stated, opossums eat parasites, slugs, frogs, snakes, and insects; all things you don’t want in your backyard. As for other benefits, opossums also can be very useful for making things like antivenoms and rabies vaccines, as they are immune to both.  
Finally, opossums make excellent pets, and finding orphaned babies is all too easy. More often than not, when a mother opossum gets hit by a car, the babies can stay alive within the pouch for a few days depending on the temperature. Opossums can easily survive on table scraps and only have special dietary needs when they are young (they need LOTS of calcium when they are babies). Opossums are very cuddly, and would gladly curl up and take a nap in the crook of your arm should they be given the opportunity. They warm up to new people quickly and will never attack without reason. I should also mention that they test bite. They tend to test bite things they have never encountered before, to see if it is friend or food, and these bites almost never break the skin. Also, they groom themselves even more than cats.   
Sadly, due to invasive species laws, opossums are legally required to be euthanized whenever possible. Unlike other invasive species, opossums don’t compete for food and habitats with native species, AND they came here on their own from Virginia. If you have an opossum problem, consider relocating, as their scent keeps others away and they are unlikely to return if they are moved over a mile.


	3. To Kill A Mockingbird and Women's Suffrage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even want to re-read this. It's so boring.

The effect Scout had on women's suffrage in the 1930s  
Most people would be surprised to find out just how different life is compared to the south in the 30s. Women were constantly told to be more tolerant, willing, and ‘girly’ from the moment they were born up to when a ring was on their finger. They had to conform to the societal standards and submit to the first guy to ask your hand in marriage. Scout couldn’t be farther from the norm, always striving to be just as independent as her male counterparts. Her firm inclination towards making her own life harder seemed counterproductive in the first chapters, however it soon becomes apparent that she had good reason for it. Even as a child she knew to question what’s expected of her, be it wearing summer dresses or playing with dolls, she could always be counted on to do behave rather boy-ish. This paper serves to prove that Scout took a step in altering gender roles in the 1930s.  
Ignoring the fact that a woman had already run for president, the world was knocking Scout, and other girls like her, down before they could stand. A major part of the story involves Aunt Alexandra who, though family, that never fails to comment on how un-ladylike Scout is, and takes every opportunity to force the traditional life onto her. The ‘boys will be boys’ argument is always her go-to every time her child acts up, however when Scout does something similar she is scolded and punished, not even being given a chance to defend her case. Sadly, this was not at all uncommon at that time. In the southern united states, a largely republican area, women's suffrage hadn’t really been a topic of consideration yet, so it was all the more unexpected that Scout acted on behalf of gender equality when it is likely she never heard much about it.  
In the book, feminism isn’t approached directly by Scout. Subconsciously though, there is plenty of evidence for Scout’s position. Getting called a girl by her brother was seen as an insult, to many troubled outsider’s surprise. When Jem was growing apart and becoming more independent the author stresses how this affects her daily life. Scout is now left to engage in more girly activities that she previously had no interest in, such as cooking and embroidery. This just expresses more the fact that being a woman was never a major concern of hers, only doing typical girly things when there was literally nothing left to do. Especially through this, though, she constantly fights against the culture that is forced upon her. Even in a moment where she is finally accepted among the women of the neighborhood, she can’t help but see the flaws in how her world works. She was full of questions, as to why, because she was a girl, she was treated differently from her brother. They were both raised under the exact same circumstances and there was only a small age gap, however, a stranger looking upon Scout playing outside would see a wasted potential future housewife. Her brother, was just seen as another boy. The fact isn’t that he was treated well, but that he was treated normally. Scout doesn’t expect to be given any kind of advantage because she is a girl interested in boy-ish things, she simply wants to be able to do all that her brother can without being reprimanded.  
This did not go unnoticed by Atticus, the only character it seems that accepts her curious pastimes as not detrimental to her future. During the christmas time in the story, the feminism subplot of the book comes to fruition. Scout receives a BB gun alongside her brother. Getting a woman a gun is like an infant winning the lottery. She may never have a use for it, in fact hopefully she doesn't, but the point is made in the meaning behind it. Women don’t usually get guns, which is telling that Atticus thinks she can handle it. The fact that she is given the same one as her brother speaks volumes for how, despite the entirety of Maycomb thinking less of her, her inside family still thinks she can be whoever she wants.  
Scout’s position in the book is a refreshing one. From inside her mind the story seems relatively shallow, but the fact that it is told from a child's point of view allows for a lot of reading between the lines. From her perspective, all the men around her are more powerful and influential figures than the women. She seeked that same power, and Atticus never tried to snuff that little bit of fire out. 

Works Cited  
Dimuro, Gina. “This ‘Free Love’ Advocate Was The First American Woman To Run For President - In 1872.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 22 Aug. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/victoria-woodhull.  
Hayden, Carla, and Harris & Ewing. “Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party History.” History - Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party - Collection Connections | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress, 2013, www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/women-protest/history4.html  
Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Slow and Steady: Women's Changing Roles in 1930s America.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 19 Jan. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/womens-rights-1930s-4141164  
Meade, Marion. Free Woman: the Life and Times of Victoria Woodhull. Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1976.


	4. Psychology Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I found this on my old school email account, and it's definitely my writing, but I don't remember ever writing it.

The way we see ourselves is muddled by the way we think others see us, which more often than not is actually what we see in ourselves. Stereotypes, by definition, are oversimplified ways of seeing a group of people or things. When we look in the mirror, what do we see? A physical body, yes, but also a representation of our minds. We wouldn’t look the way we do if we thought differently. Our bone structure doesn’t have to change for us to disguise ourselves. Changes in weight, getting a haircut, maybe not wearing that terrible hat that adorns your head like a second skin for once; All of these things contribute to how you look, how you see yourself, how others see you, and through all of these, your personality.  
Now let’s enter a dangerous thought process. Imagine one mental trait you wish you had, say, you wish you were less annoying or that you had more confidence. What if you could change that with a container of dye or a tube of lipstick? By marketing products in exactly this way the population is divided. We have those who see through it, and are thus unaffected. Those who see through it, but still hope for the affects anyway, results will vary with the mindset of the person. And finally, there are those who honestly believe that these products will make them have these traits, and the placebo effect comes into play.   
With or without a nine thousand dollar plastic surgery bill, we are told there are foolproof ways of improving ourselves. Words like “try harder” plague the minds of those who always try, and don’t succeed. Without guidance, it is near impossible to get yourself out of this trench labeled ‘lack of self worth’ you are still digging. Even with guidance, complete submission to the program is painful to say the least.   
You’ve been building these walls around yourself for years. You work on them every day, and you’ve gotten into a routine. Humans are ever-changing, but with these walls you can only see your changing self, ignoring the rest of the world. It’s easy. Add another board, nail, paint, next. Your counselor doesn’t want much at first. Just stop building. You don’t have to take down your hard work, just stop adding to it. What we’re left with is excuses. I have to keep building. It’s all a waste if it’s never completed. You tell yourself, denying the fact that you’re wasting real-world money on real-world help because you cant stick to the schedule. Your counselor is nice though. You know that if you quit there is no way you’re going back. You know that without guidance, even managing to stop building is all for naught because you will start again. You also know that submitting the power, putting the hammer in those around you’s hands is just going to cause problems. You know that deep down somewhere under all this construction, someone wants to let others break the walls.   
But instead you pay the bill and go back home. Ready to finish your nightly duties, come up with another excuse why you’re not going out with friends tonight, and engulf yourself with a good book.   
You eat right, exercise, go to work every day, have spectacular hygiene habits, are on relatively good terms with family. Why do you feel like there's a constant earthquake under your feet? Why do these walls shake like they themselves are so ready to fall. You add support beams and cement and try to stabilize the earth under your feet of which you have no control. Nothing works though. Nothing falls either. The walls groan and shake but you have to make the first movement. No one else can get through the fence to reach in and do it for you. Your counselor has told you this a thousand times, but you don’t listen, instead just dreading the next time you will have to see her and already coming up with excuses for why you don’t just move out.   
The wormhole in your wallet that leads directly to your counselors pocket is guarded by a gate labeled ‘beneficiality’ and though it lets the bills and coins flow through it reminds the lady that you aren't getting better. She worries about you. You stuff your face with nails and hammer Cheetos into those boards. Maybe she won't realize you’re still building if you use weaker material. You know that trying to deceive the one you are pouring your wages into is killing the gatekeeper, but eh, the raw boards are still weeping sap. Maybe shrink capacity will break your walls for you.


End file.
